


New Rule

by meansovermotive



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Banter, F/M, Human Disaster Cormoran Strike, Humor, Romance, Troubled Blood Spoilers, office meeting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27980493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meansovermotive/pseuds/meansovermotive
Summary: "He was angry, he told himself, because he should have established a work rule that partners weren't allowed to date subcontractors, and for another reason which he preferred not to examine, because he knew perfectly well what it was, and no good could come of brooding upon it".--Troubled Blood, Ch. 52Cormoran has a new and somewhat confusing rule for the agency.
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Comments: 25
Kudos: 52





	New Rule

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of this scenario yesterday, during class of all times, and struggled to keep a straight face in front of the camera, so just hope you have as much fun with it as I did 🤣
> 
> Also I added the book quote in case it wasn't clear, before, that's where this came from XD

“Finally”, Strike was saying towards the end of Michelle’s first meeting after joining the team, “I’d just like to stress that Robin’s word carries the same weight as mine. I’m not around, whatever she says, you follow”.

He looked at each of the employees and chanced a glimpse at Robin, who was trying to maintain a cool façade and not let it show how much his words pleased her.

“But anyway, I don’t expect that will a problem anymore. Barclay and Hutchins are already well with it and somehow I don’t think you’ll have a problem with this”, he addressed Michelle, with a raised eyebrow.

She smiled.

“Not at all, indeed.”

“Great”, he said, and there was silence for a moment.

“So is that all, boss?”, Hutchins asked.

Strike was about to agree, when he remembered something.

“Ah, actually, there was one other thing.” His eyes went in Robin’s direction for a moment before continuing. “There’s a new, uh, office rule I wanted to introduce”.

Robin looked at him, frowning.

“New rule?” asked Barclay.

“Yeah”, Strike said. He cleared his throat before continuing. “About… interpersonal relationships at the agency. From here on out, it’s established that partners aren’t allowed to date subcontractors.”

During the stunned silence and collective frown that followed, in which Robin stared speechless at him, her eyebrows raised, and a few others looked around, apparently doing some mental calculations, Strike came to the quick and yet too late realization that he had not thought this through at all.

Michelle was the first to speak.

“Just to check that I understood correctly”, she started, cautiously. “By ‘partners’, you mean yourself and Ellacott?”

“Yeah” he nodded, and swallowed.

Michelle narrowed her eyes in confusion.

“I really don’t intend to appear as questioning authority on my first day here”, she said. “But I am failing to see the point.” She frowned, before an idea seemed to cross her mind. “Oh, I get it. Is it a fail safe of sorts for you two?” she looked between him and Robin, who finally regained her voice back.

“Sorry?”

Pat seemed to follow the conversation with extreme interest, which didn’t seemed to be shared by Hutchins. Barclay, too, had an amused expression in his face.

“Well”, Michelle said, “It’s just that as long as the only partners are already an item, this rule wouldn’t really change anything. So I assumed it was sort of a fail safe.”

Strike stared at Michelle, dumbfounded. It was Robin who clarified.

“Michelle”, she started, slowly. “Cormoran and I are not, um…together.”

Michelle was silent for a moment.

“Oh”, she said, frowning. This didn’t really add up, but she wasn’t one for meddling, anyway. “I’m sorry for the confusion, then. Suppose I assumed incorrectly.”

“Na, ye fine”, Barclay interrupted. “The bosses dae have a work-spouse thing goin’ on”, he grinned.

Strike raised an outraged eyebrow at him, but before he could argue, Michelle spoke again.

“I’m sorry, again, but I just have to ask” she said, bluntly. “Is this new rule for my benefit? Because I see Barclay and Hutchins here seem to be married, so… did I give the impression I was giving anyone a pass, or something?” she frowned.

Robin’s eyes widened, and she turned quickly to Strike, who seemed utterly displeased with the whole conversation and frankly, with himself.

“Well there’s Pat, tae”, Barclay chimed in, grinning.

Mostly, Strike thought, he was displeased with Barclay.

“Excuse me”, Pat said. “I’m married, too. And I’m not a subcontractor, anyway”, she said, and despite the ostensible offended tone, she seemed also mildly flattered. She chanced a glance at Strike, who clearly decided to ignore Barclay’s comment.

“No”, Strike said firmly, addressing Michelle. Best to end this nonsense as quickly as possible. “I’m just taking this meeting as an opportunity, but this is absolutely not because of you, Greenstreet. As a matter of fact, I thought of this rule months ago.”

“Ach”, Barclay said. “Ah get it noo. This’ because o’ Morris.”

Robin’s eyebrows shot up.

Strike looked sharply at Barclay, angry, but then caught on what the scot was thinking, and realized that it was, in fact, an excellent explanation.

“Exactly. We had an, uh… incident.” He paused, glancing at Robin. “So I thought this was a safe policy for the agency.”

Robin, understanding finally hitting her, felt simultaneously mortified that this was being brought up again -- as a reason for a new office policy, no less – a bit touched at Strike’s concern, but also, honestly, also a little indignant that he hadn’t discussed this with her beforehand.

“An incident?” Michelle asked, and before Strike could say anything, Barclay explained,

“Arse’ole sent Robin a dick pic”.

Robin closed her eyes for a moment in frustration, and Strike shot Barclay an angry glare.

“ _Thank you_ , Sam”, he said. “Perfect timing, as always.”

“Na problem, boss”, he obliviously responded.

“Ugh”, Michelle was saying to Robin. “Sorry about that, Robin. Bloody arseholes.”

Robin waved her hand in dismissal.

“It’s okay. I got to hit him in the nose and then we fired him, so.”

Michelle grinned at her, her eyebrow raised.

“ _Okay_ ”, she said, in appraisal. “I like the vibe here”. She then turned to Strike. “And yeah, I can see the point of your rule now. So that any newcomers don’t be getting ideas”.

Strike let out a breath. Disaster averted. Nightmare over.

“Exactly”, he said. “So, I guess…”

“Why this subcontractor thing, anyway?” Pat chimed in.

Strike turned to her, incredulous.

“Sorry?”

“Why this partner-subcontractor complication? Why not just prohibiting all relationships, period?” she asked, a glint in her eyes.

Strike stared at her blankly for a long moment.

Robin, intrigued at his lack of follow up, came to his rescue.

“Well, I imagine”, she said, frowning at him, “that if the subcontractors wanted to, mutually, it would be none of our businesses… right, Cormoran?”

“Yeah” he agreed quickly, thankful for Robin’s intervention that gave him time to think. “And there’s no element of authority at play, too. No offense to anyone, but any of you may leave the agency at any moment. It’s different for us”, he said, turning at Robin, and she felt her previous outrage melting away.

“Right”, Strike said, clasping his hands and letting out a breath. “That’s it for today. Thank you everybody, and let’s get to work”.

With that, the employees left, leaving Strike and Robin alone in the inner office.

“So”, he said, eager to change the subject. “I wanna say I’m actually pretty confident with this team, now. Aren’t you?” he asked Robin.

Robin felt quite confused still at the whole exchange, and was very curious at this new rule he had devised. While she understood the reasons Strike had given, the timing certainly seemed suspicious. Was he trying to make a point, what with the new female employee, that he wasn’t interested?

And, as Pat had observed, the phrasing of the rule had certainly seemed interesting, too…

“I don’t know”, she responded, studying him. “Are you really?”

Strike frowned at her.

“Why?”

“What was that all about, Cormoran?” she asked. “It wasn’t indeed because of Michelle, was it?”

“What? ‘f course not. Thought you’d understand the reasons for it.” He frowned.

“Well, I do”, she said. “But it was so long ago, and you’re only mentioning this now.”

“Yeah, well, we had a lot going on. Just thought I’d take the opportunity, since I was already explaining the rules, to introduce this one”. He paused, suddenly concerned. “You don’t… have a problem with it, do you?”

Robin’s eyebrows shot up.

“With the rule?” He nodded, and she giggled lightly. “No, Cormoran, I don’t. Just you know, for future reference, you might mention it to me beforehand? Since I am also a partner. And the rule concerns mostly… the dating habits of the partners.” She looked at him with an amused expression.

Strike stared at her for a moment.

“Ah, of course”, he said, clearing his throat. “I will, of course. S’rry about that.”

“It’s okay”, she said, and studied him for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining the blush in his cheeks, but if it was indeed there, she had a suspicion she knew what was causing it. “It is, after all, a...very well devised rule, I’d say”.

She looked at him, a glint in her eye, and, grinning, thought his blush seemed, indeed, quite real.

\--

Meanwhile in Denmark Street, Barclay and Michelle were walking together towards the tube.

“So”, she said. “Assuming it really isn’t, already, how long do you think until this new rule is obsolete?”

Barclay frowned at her.

“Whit dae ye mean?”

She chuckled.

“Oh, come on. Bloke makes a rule that basically says she can’t date in the office unless it’s with him?”

Realization seemed to dawn on Barclay.

“Och, noo ye mention it…” he said, remembering a certain night he had found the bosses in the office, slightly drunk and in complete darkness. 

He turned to Michelle, his eyebrow raised.

“Oy, we better watch oot with ye, eh?”

She laughed.

“Oh, you seen nothing”, she said, and regarded him. “Anyway, it seems we’re up for a bit of fun, uh?”

And grinning at each other, they parted ways at the station.

**Author's Note:**

> Just stressing that Cormoran thought of this rule BEFORE he knew about dickpicgate.  
> And he was like, serious about it, too.  
> Corm, my dude, how were you gonna explain this one away, huh?


End file.
